Documentary Genre
History of the Genre
Early film can be classed as documentary, for example the Lumiere brothers films, such as ‘workers leaving the factory.’
First Documentary Film
• Robert Flaherty film ‘Nanook Of The North,’ is generally cited as the first feature-length documentary.
• It employs many of the conventions of later documentary use of narration, subjective tone and archive footage.
Documentary?
• 1926: John Grierson), a young Scottish academic writes a review of Robert Flaherty’s film Moana for the New York Sun (February 8, 1926).
• In the review he coins the term "documentary."
Cinéma Vérité.
• Using newly developed, lightweight, hand-held cameras with synchronized sound, a new generation of young filmmakers in the US and Europe attempts to redefine the nature of the documentary film.
Documentary and Activism
• Filmmakers embrace a more openly polemic approach to documentary. Civil rights, anti-war movements, and the women’s movement provide the impetus for much of this cinematic activism.
Codes
Codes• Lighting• Colours• Editing• Framing• Camera Movement • Focus• Narration• Music• Mise en scene
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Conventions
• Hand held camera• Poor sound/lighting• Disjointed editing• V/O - Presenter• Interviews
Conventions
• Use of Experts• Archive film and
photographs• Music• Framing to create
meaning. • Montage
MontageMontage
» The editing together of various (brief) shots that are not continuous but, by their combination, create meaning.
» The editing together of various (brief) shots that are not continuous but, by their combination, create meaning.
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Top Related